Trainspotters are expected to steam into Penzance

TRAINSPOTTERS are in for a treat this weekend with locomotives dating back to the golden age of steam puffing their way through the Penwith countryside.

Two engines will be visiting Penzance in celebration of the 175th anniversary of Victorian engineer Brunel's masterpiece, the Great Western Railway.

On Saturday at around 8.15pm a train packed with 480 enthusiasts will be hauled into the station by diesel engine, Western Champion.

Shifting tracks at a bridge near Hayle, which could cost £10 million to fix, has seen steam locomotives banned from westbound trips south of Truro in recent years

Following a trip to Scilly on Sunday aboard a specially-chartered Scillonian, the historic carriages will then be pulled out by two steam engines, King Edward I and Nunney Castle, on Monday.

And to ensure the Great Western steam engines will be seen at Penzance the pair will chug into Penzance early on Monday morning on the eastbound line, when no other trains are operating, then leave at 9am.

Marcus Robertson, chairman of Steam Dreams, who organised the trip, said: "Both locos were regulars on this line in the middle of the 20th century and offer a nostalgic look back at the magnificent days of steam.

"The Great Western Railway and its charismatic engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, are so well loved we could not let the anniversary pass unmarked."

On Sunday passengers will visit Scilly, the Eden Project and Bodmin and Wenford Railway – or spend the day at leisure in Penzance and St Ives.